Donald L. Poinessa papers, 1945 3 Aug. - 14 Dec.

ArchivalResource

Poinessa, Donald L. Donald L. Poinessa papers, 1945 3 Aug. - 14 Dec.

Donald L. Poinessa papers, 1945 3 Aug. - 14 Dec.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/503332487

Letters of a young Marine undergoing the rigors of basic training during boot camp at Parris Island, S.C., written to his wife, Jo Poinessa, living in Lancaster, N.Y.; Poinessa's expressing frustrations common to many married couples of the day when separated by long distances for extended periods of time. Letters also address Poinessa's activities in basic training, such as mess hall duty, the sweltering heat of lowcountry S.C., the haircuts he and fellow recruits got every two weeks, and his hope that he would not be deployed to Japan or Manchuria (China) as part of an army of occupation, many others voice his frustration, anxiety, jealousy, and anger over his wife's movements that he did not understand as well as his jealousy over thoughts that his wife might socialize with her former boyfriends or his male friends. Poinessa discusses his duties as a squad and hut leader (6 Aug. 1945); on the rifle range, Poinessa scored 240 points out of a possible 275, with the carbine rife and making sharpshooter (26 August 1945); indulging in forbidden black market ice cream (12 September 1945); complaints of bed bugs, cockroaches, and large mosquitoes (19 September 1945); punishment of colleagues who were caught gambling (13 Oct. 1945); Poinessa's final letter from Parris Island is dated 20 Oct. 1945, and there are no more letters except two written in Dec. 1945 from Quantico, Va.

72 items.

University of South Carolina, System Library Service, University Libraries